Langley in running as UAV training site

hampton

HAMPTON — Langley Air Force Base is one of four installations being considered to train airmen to operate unmanned aerial vehicles, the Air Force has announced.

Also on the list: Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; and Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

The new ground control station will train airmen on the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. Air Force spokesman Gary Strasburg said the airmen who train will be replaced on a rotating basis as they complete their work. The station will have a standing cadre of personnel.

It has not been determined how many airmen would be on base at any one time.

The factors for choosing the base include communications infrastructure, facilities, timing, cost and mission requirements.

Langley is the headquarters for Air Combat Command, which developed the candidate list.

It is also headquarters for the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, which analyzes imagery and data from various manned and unmanned surveillance craft, much of them flying over Iraq and Afghanistan.

A decision on the preferred alternative is expected in June after an environmental impact analysis of all four sites.

The Air Force is looking to train more airmen to operate remotely piloted aircraft, which have been increasingly deployed in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan.